A middle school gymnasium in Weymouth, Massachusetts, has been renamed for Police Sgt. Michael Chesna, around five years after he was killed in the line of duty.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Maria Weston Chapman Middle School gymnasium on Commercial Street at 4 p.m. Monday and included Superintendent Robert Wargo, Chief of Police Richard Fuller, members of the Chesna family and the community.
The ceremony focused on Chesna's service and his impact on the community before his death.
"Let us continue to honor Sgt. Chesna's memory by acknowledging the sacrifices he made for the greater good," Weymouth Mayor Robert Hedlund said. "His dedication and sacrifice are a testament to the noble profession of policing, reminding us of the brave men and women who put their lives on the line ti protect our communities every day."
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The mayor's chief of staff said he was pleased the time had come to dedicate the new Chapman Gym in honor of Chesna.
"It’s a fitting tribute that will forever stand as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice Sgt. Chesna made protecting our community," Ted Langill said. "Given the recent judicial failure of a mistrial and the upcoming new trial, the ceremony is also a special opportunity for the community to affirm our support to the entire Chesna family for the sacrifice they have made and continue to endure.”
The murder case against Emanuel Lopes, the man accused of killing Chesna and an elderly woman in July 2018, was declared a mistrial earlier this summer. Chesna’s widow sobbed when the mistrial was announced in July by Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone after a monthlong trial including about two weeks of jury deliberations.
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Lopes, 25, had pleaded not guilty to 11 charges, including two counts of murder, in connection with the killings on July 15, 2018. Prosecutors allege Lopes shot Chesna, 42, a military veteran and married father of two, as well as bystander Vera Adams, a 77-year-old widow, as he was fleeing the scene of a minor car crash that Chesna was investigating.
The Weymouth Police Department said at the time it was “extremely disappointed” with the mistrial but insisted there would be justice, while prosecutors said they planned to retry the case. A new trial is set to begin on Jan. 8, 2024.
A bridge in Weymouth was dedicated to Chesna last December.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
